Key to Her Heart Unchained
by The Blue Time Ranger
Summary: Nick Kelly is a keyblade wielder in Daybreak Town, assisted by his fellow Union friends in collecting Lux to fight off the darkness. One day, Nick and his "guild" begin to hear strange rumors about a group of keyblade wielders who are supposedly helping darkness spread unchecked, all in the name of a supposedly mythical deity of evil. Can Nick and his friends unravel this mystery?


It begins as it always does.

Just a normal day.

My family sitting around me.

The four of us, me, my mother, my father, and my little sister, just chatting about what was going on here in Daybreak Town.

Then, I heard a noise.

Every single time, I wish I could take control of this nightmare and warn my family, defend myself, do something, _anything_ that would mean I wouldn't have to relive what's about to happen.

Sadly, just like every time I find myself in this vision, I could only stand there in fear as the figure in the black cloak strode into the house like he owned it or something.

Mom attacked first, swinging her keyblade at the figure, only for it to raise its hand to catch the keyblade, snap it in half, and then stab her with a blade of dark energy, killing her instantly.

Dad reacted quickly to that, summoning his own keyblade and attacking the figure, only for it to dodge every single swipe he made. My sister and I, the ones who _didn't_ have keyblades, couldn't do much but stare in utter horror as the figure practically disembowel my father just like he had my mother.

Once dad fell, the figure turned its attention to us.

Even though I couldn't see its face due to the hood of its cloak, I was pretty damn sure that thing was _grinning _as it approached us.

As the figure raised its dark blade, I knew for a fact that I was next.

I silently pleaded for it to just end as the figure thrust his blade towards me...

...only for my sister to plant herself firmly in front of me.

I felt my heart figuratively stop at the sight of my sister taking the attack that would have killed me, that dark blade piercing through her chest instead of mine.

And now, I could actually see a wicked grin coming from the darkness of the figure's hood.

I was dead for sure.

* * *

(To discover the end, a journey must start at the beginning.)

**The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
_W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart Unchained  
_**Story Created:** January 9th, 2019  
**Story Rated:** T for Teen

**The Dramatis Personnae (cast, if you will):  
**_Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
**_Patrick Seitz _as **Justin  
**_Jillian Ashcroft_ as **Katelyn  
**_Michelle Ruff _as **Mallory  
**_Jad Saxton _as **Mira  
**_Madison Davenport _as **Strelitzia  
**_Isabela Moner _as **Foreteller Ava  
**_Matthew Mercer _as **Foreteller Ira  
**_Travis Willingham_ as **Foreteller Aced  
**_Kevin G. Quinn_ as **Foreteller Gula  
**_Karissa Lee Staples_ as **Foreteller Invi  
**_Lara Jill Miller _as **Chirithy**

**Story Summary:** Nick Kelly is a keyblade wielder in Daybreak Town, assisted by his fellow Union friends in collecting Lux to fight off the darkness and survive the inevitable Keyblade War. One day, Nick and his "guild" begin to hear strange rumors about a group of keyblade wielders who are supposedly helping darkness spread unchecked, all in the name of a supposedly mythical deity of evil. In hopes of keeping the inevitable war from worsening, Nick and his friends decide to investigate who is behind this anomaly before Daybreak Town is swallowed by the darkness...

**Author's Notes and Explanations:** Okay, this was created from the ashes of my failed reboot of Key to Her Heart: A Fragmentary Passage in an attempt to do things right this time. Despite knowing the basic beats of the storyline of Kingdom Hearts χ/Unchained χ/Union χ, I haven't actually played it due to both a tablet that's too old by a year to actually play it and not having a smartphone. That's where loyal reviewer Lonnie Lonnster/AlexisRhodes74 comes in. Together, we're helping to bring this thing back from the depths. Even though I'm the one writing the story, Lonnie is helping me with stuff I don't understand about χ, like how to adapt its gameplay style, how to use Medals, all that kind of stuff.

**And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H., Kingdom Hearts, or any of its affiliations. W.I.T.C.H. belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square Enix. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I _did_ own W.I.T.C.H. or Kingdom Hearts, which I _don't_, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

* * *

Episode 1: The Story Begins

When I could see again, everything around me had vanished, everything except for a stained glass platform in the middle of nowhere that I was standing on.

What... what is this?

_Look deep inside your heart. This is where your journey begins._

Who's talking to me? Would somebody like to answer me, please?

_Banisher of darkness, gatherer of light. What is your name?_

...okay, if we're going that route, I may as well humor the odd voice.

"My name is Nick."

_Which Union does your heart belong to?_

Hold on, a Union?

Five different animals appeared around me, no doubt representing the Unions. One was a snake, one was a unicorn, one was a fox, one was a leopard, and one was a bear.

I thought it over for a couple seconds before reaching out towards the snake, the one that just felt right in my heart.

All of a sudden, shadows began to gather on the platform, drowning it in darkness and even threatening to swallow me up.

Just as my vision began to dim, I felt a light welling up from deep within me.

I raised my hand, and a peculiar key-shaped weapon flashed into my hand. Out of pure instinct, I swung my new weapon, and the darkness that was attempting to swallow me dissipated, illuminating my Dive to the Heart.

_The keyblade holds the power of light. The power to drive away the darkness._

My keyblade began to blaze with a blinding light, and I found myself back in the fountain square of Daybreak Town.

"That was pretty scary, huh? But you definitely get an A for the effort."

"Um... who, exactly, is talking to me?" I wondered.

"Down here!"

I looked down at the floor in front of me, and saw what appeared to be a tiny cat plushie staring up at me.

"You look like you're confused, so here's what's going on," the plushie stated. "Your pursuit of light made you a perfect candidate to become a keyblade wielder. The darkness is spreading, and it's up to you, and many others like you, to use your new weapon, the keyblade, to fight the darkness, collect light, and hopefully save the world in the process."

"Okay, so what were those things that attacked me?" I wondered.

"That monster you just defeated was a Heartless, creatures born of the darkness of people's hearts," the plushie answered. "They scour the world in search of hearts, spreading darkness everywhere they go. As you no doubt just realized, the keyblade is very effective against them."

I swung Starlight a few times to get the hang of it before the plushie began to speak again.

"Anyways, I was assigned by someone to watch over a new keyblade wielder... and that's you! My name is Chirithy, and I'll be supporting you the whole way, teaching you everything you need to know. Nice to meet ya!"

Chirithy reached out to me, and I shook its tiny little hand, noting (with a hopefully unseen tear) that my sister would have loved this thing...

"Right now, that keyblade, like you, has room to grow," Chirithy continued, not initially noticing that I was getting ready to dash after the cloaked figure. "To unleash its true power, you'll need to use 'fragments', or special Medals you can set in your keyblade. I understand it's a lot to take in, so why don't you use the local Heartless for practice?"

And so, my Chirithy guided me through Daybreak Town, stopping me at different batches of Heartless so I could learn how to effectively use my keyblade to fight these dark monsters.

After a few minutes of my lessons, a _much_ larger Heartless pulled its way through a corridor of darkness and stared down at me.

"What the hell?!" I shouted. I raised Starlight to defend myself, even though I wasn't sure if it'd do any good against this larger jerk.

The Darkside threw a punch for me with every intent of taking me out, but, to my surprise, someone jumped in front of me and swung her keyblade to deflect the giant fist away from me.

When I was able to get a good look at her, I saw a young woman who hid her face under a blue snake mask. She was wearing a light blue, hooded cloak that covered a robe, shirt, and sash that were all a darker shade of blue.

Her keyblade had a light grey handle, and its pommel and guard resembled a silvery blue bough bursting with leaves. The guard was asymmetrical, with an opening on the side of the teeth. The base of the keyblade featured an etching of a silver, blue-eyed cobra whose tail was curled into an infinity helix shape. The shaft was formed by a bluish silver, jagged, kris-like blade with a wide, darkened middle, which is etched with a cream-colored ivy design. Curved, leafy boughs served as the keyblade's teeth, and the keychain was comprised of small, silver sprigs, and its token was a leafed, silver talisman.

"Who are you?" I asked, still incredibly confused.

"I am Invi, Foreteller of the Anguis Union," the woman responded. "I sensed your awakening and came to assist."

"Couldn't have come at a better time, honestly," I quipped, preparing for the Darkside's next attack.

"I see you've managed to harness the power of the keyblade," Invi stated. "Most lesser Heartless will be easy prey for you, but in order to defeat stronger foes, you must combine your own strength with those who share the same purpose and aspirations as you."

To my honest shock, a group of at least five other keyblade wielders, no doubt from Invi's Union, showed up with their keyblades already drawn.

"Your friends will become your power," Invi proclaimed.

"Now that's more my speed," I quipped, readying Starlight for a battle. "Let's mop this thing up, everybody!"

With that said, we all charged into battle with the Darkside, even as it began attempting to punch us with its massive fists.

"Try going for the arms first," a boy in blue stated to me.

I decided to take his advice and lashed out at the arm that had been trying to punch my lights out, hitting it with an overhead strike and momentarily dazing it.

"I'm going for the head!" the girl with short black hair shouted, leapfrogging off of the boy in blue's shoulders to deliver a few whacks to the Darkside's head. Another wielder fired off a large ball of... well, _fire_ to blast the head once the black-haired girl had landed.

With our teamwork holding us together, it wasn't much longer before the Darkside fell to our combined strength.

"And boom!" one of the wielders exclaimed. "One more Darkside served up extra crispy!"

"Thanks for your help, everyone," I stated. The other wielders nodded and scattered into the night. "And especially you, Master Invi."

Invi simply nodded before letting her keyblade vanish. "You must be mindful, however," Invi stated. "There are others like you who collect light, but not all of them share the same goal of bringing peace to the world. You must discover who among us walks the path of darkness."

Invi began to walk away, but I raised a hand to stop her so I could... well, this was going to be tricky.

"Um... Master Invi?" I asked.

"Yes?" Invi replied.

"I'm... I'm conflicted about something."

"What is it, my dear?" Invi wondered.

"About a few months ago..." I started.

This was the part I knew was going to be the hardest to say, because saying it meant I was accepting that mom and dad were gone.

But I swallowed my pride and pressed on anyway.

"...a man in a black cloak... murdered my parents."

Though I couldn't see her face because of the mask she was wearing, I could tell she was surprised by the information.

"Now that I have the power to stop him, I don't think I can rest until I bring him to justice for what he did," I explained. "I... I don't know if that means I have darkness in my heart, or what..."

Invi walked up to me and placed her hand on my shoulder in a gesture that reminded me very much of how my mother would do that to reassure me.

"Everyone has equal shares of darkness and light in their hearts. It is simply the natural way of things," Invi answered. "It is what you _do_ with that power that matters."

Nothing more needed to be said, as Invi disappeared through a shimmering portal.

Despite how short our conversation was... I actually feel a little bit better.

Because now I can hopefully grow strong enough to avenge my parents someday.

"I know this is probably pretty overwhelming for you," Chirithy admitted. "But that's just how it is! After all, darkness waits for no one!"

Chirithy suddenly hopped onto my shoulder. "In fact, the darkness has found its way to a bunch of other worlds out there, and they need a keyblade wielder's help," Chirithy stated. "I just so happen to know a way to get to those places. So, are you ready?"

I glanced at Starlight, its blade gleaming in the afternoon light.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess," I answered as Chirithy raised its paws and opened a shimmering portal in front of us.

Well, all in who's going in, I guess...

"NICK, WAKE UP ALREADY!"

Nick practically jumped out of the bed he had been resting in at the shout from his friend, frantically raking his gaze around the room in search of that damned Heartless that had sucker-punched him.

Just like he did every time he had that dream.

"Whoa, dude, calm down, it's just me."

Nick looked up to see his friend Mallory standing there in the doorway of her room.

"Sorry if I scared you, Mal," Nick stated.

"No prob, dude," Mallory laughed before her expression softened. "Was it... the same dream again?"

"...yeah. It ended the same way it always does."

"Well, if you feel you've gotta take a bit to recover, take as long as you need, 'kay?" Mallory stated. "Just... don't take _too_ long, got it? You know Mira still wants to play that new game with you."

Despite the jitters, Nick couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, she's been waiting for it pretty much non-stop since the Moogles started advertising it."

Mallory gave Nick a smile before leaving the room, letting the door stay slightly open to leave Nick with his thoughts.

Why, of all times, was this nightmare haunting him _now_?

* * *

"IT'S A GORGEOUS DAY!"

Nick couldn't resist cracking a grin as Mallory greeted the day with renewed vigor like she always did.

"You weren't saying that yesterday, if I remember correctly," Justin laughed even as Mallory fixed him with her patented "annoying Justin glare". "You _do_ know it was raining for most of the day yesterday?"

"Ugh, don't remind me," Katelyn quipped, running a hand through her hair as if to brush away any reminders of _that_ particular mess. "Sometimes I really wish I didn't have hair this long. It's a pain and a half to take care of sometimes..."

"Well, then why don't you just get a haircut?" Mallory asked. "I'm sure that one boy in Ursus would be happy to do it for you. Apparently he's the self-proclaimed 'best hairstylist in the world'!"

"Wait, you're not talking about that snooty kid, are you?" Nick asked. "I had a few run-ins with him, and, honestly, I wouldn't call 'hacking it off with a keyblade' a qualification to being a barber."

"Yeah, Katelyn, I thought you were sensitive about your hair?" Mira wondered.

"Well, obviously," Katelyn giggled. "That's why if I ever decide to get a haircut, I'd rather it be done by someone I know I can trust."

Before Mallory could respond that she'd be happy to do it, Nick's Chirithy appeared in front of him, which usually meant that trouble was afoot.

"What's up, Chirithy?" Nick asked.

"I'm gonna see if I can find any information about those Darkballs," Nick's Chirithy responded. "I'll be back in a bit, 'kay?"

With that said, Chirithy floated off to begin his investigation.

Nick just sighed, hoping he never had to see another Darkball. Even if they weren't too tricky to defeat, they were still annoying.

"Well, we've got some free time, apparently," Mallory quipped. "What do you think we should do, guys?"

Nick looked back at his "guild" and smiled, still feeling unbelievably lucky to have some of the greatest friends he'd ever known.

Nick himself was fifteen years old, with short and spiky brown hair and matching brown eyes. As the leader of their "guild", Nick did his best to keep everyone together, even if their wildly varying personalities made it tricky at times. Despite possessing a strong sense of justice and a drive to right the wrongs of the world, Nick was very impatient and would often jump headfirst into a situation without thinking things through, and this often landed the group in trouble.

Mallory was the oldest member of the group, at about sixteen and a half, with short and curly black hair and soft red eyes. As the oldest, Mallory often considered herself the "big sister" of the group, looking out for her friends when trouble was afoot, and her caring and almost motherly personality meant that they all appreciated it. She had actually known Nick the longest of the group, having met him when Nick had received his keyblade, to help him fend off the Darkside that had attacked him.

Justin was about Nick's age of fifteen (a few months older), with short but messy brown hair and blue eyes. Justin liked to brag about his "skills" a lot, even though he wasn't very arrogant about it, as he'd seen first-hand where that kind of arrogance could lead someone. A boy who repeatedly spoke his mind and would be blunt as possible, Justin felt no need to mince words. Justin often envied Nick for being appointed the leader of their self-titled "guild", even though he tried not to let it bother him.

Katelyn was also fifteen years old (fifteen and a quarter, specifically), with long brown hair tied into a ponytail and emerald-green eyes. Katelyn was very competitive, often getting into little contests with the others over who could kill the most Heartless or collect the most fallen treasure. Despite her competitive streak, Katelyn was very energetic and friendly, and knew how to get on peoples' good sides. She was also the group's resident "bully hunter", as Mallory called her, having taken to protecting her friends from the mean words of keyblade wielders from rival unions who felt like they were too big for their britches.

Mira was the youngest of the group, at fourteen and a half, with shoulder-length green hair and purple eyes. Mira, unlike most of the group, was very shy and sometimes had trouble talking to new people. However, a will of steel rested under the "shy girl next door" façade Mira often put up around strangers. When push came to shove, Mira's shyness would fade to reveal an indomitable spirit that wouldn't hesitate to protect her friends at any cost. Mira also had an incredibly blatant crush on Nick, and Justin often teased her about the fact that everyone in the group _except_ Nick could see that.

Katelyn was about to make an offer of something they could do together, but was distracted from it by Nick summoning his keyblade, Starlight, to his hands. The culprit was obvious, being a large and spherical Heartless with beady arms and spikes protruding from its armor.

"Well, there's _something_," Justin cackled as he summoned his keyblade, Signal Beacon.

"Not exactly how I wanted to spend a day off, but hey, _someone's_ gotta take down these wackos," Katelyn stated, summoning her keyblade, Genie Magic.

"Well, what are we waiting for, you guys?" Mallory proclaimed as she summoned her own keyblade, Truth Seeker.

"Let's go and wipe them out!" Mira exclaimed, summoning her own keyblade, Exalted One.

Nick directed the group to follow the Morning Star as it spun its way through the town, eventually managing to corner it in the plaza, where it could be seen harassing a young woman from Vulpes.

"Hey, spike ball!" Justin proclaimed. "You're dealing with _us_ now."

"All right, everyone, set your Medals and let's get to work!" Nick shouted.

The group did just that, picking the Medals they wanted to use and charging for the Morning Star in tandem.

When it came to Nick and his friends, each member of the group had a specific role on the battlefield.

Nick was the special attacker, preferring to use specialized techniques to deal damage to his foes. As the Morning Star barreled towards him, Nick activated one of his favorite Medals before rushing in to attack the Morning Star's flank with an Ars Solum, dealing six hits in wide, wavy patterns, followed by a forward vertical spinning attack, then a horizontal forward spin attack, both spins knocking the Morning Star backwards, and finishing with another forward somersault into a spin attack, then slamming Starlight into the ground and producing a shockwave.

Katelyn was the black mage of the group, preferring to stay at a distance and unleash barrages of magic spells. While the Morning Star was recovering from Nick's attack, Katelyn juked to the side to get a better shot before unleashing a Firaga spell, causing a large ball of fire to fly through the air and explode upon contact with the Morning Star.

Justin was the primary damage dealer, preferring to win his battles through sheer brute force. Not long after Katelyn launched her spell, Justin was already closing in, slashing Signal Beacon across the Morning Star's bulk before swinging his keyblade upwards to knock the Morning Star into the air, where it was vulnerable to another spell from Katelyn.

Mallory was the buff and debuff specialist, casting various enchantments to either strengthen her allies or weaken her opponents in different ways. The Morning Star attempted to bounce on top of Justin while he was prone, but Mallory cast Armor Break to lower the Morning Star's defenses, allowing Justin to clobber it with Signal Beacon. However, after a few hits, the Morning Star broke out and shoulder-checked Justin with its spiked shoulder pads, sending him tumbling backwards.

Mira was the designated healer of the group, tasked with keeping her fellow keyblade wielders in fighting shape. As Justin stumbled backwards from the Morning Star's attack, Mira raised her keyblade and cast Cura on Justin, surrounding his body with a ring of green energy that quickly healed the wound he'd received. This gave Justin the leeway he needed to leap at the Morning Star and strike with an overhead slash that finally split the Morning Star in half, causing it to evaporate into wisps of darkness and drop some Lux that absorbed into Justin's keyblade.

"Yeah, who's bad _now_?" Justin proclaimed.

"Heads up, Justin, there's more coming!" Mallory shouted as two more Heartless popped up to challenge them, these ones being a Dire Plant and a Darkball.

Naturally, Nick let out a groan of frustration. "Okay, you guys, I'll take the Darkball, because I am _so done_ with these creepoids," Nick quipped. "You handle the plant and any reinforcements!"

"Roger that, fearless leader!" Katelyn proclaimed.

The Darkball reared back, then lunged forward with a series of bites, but Nick swiftly stopped that by leaping into the air and smacking the Darkball around with a series of quick combos, followed by a Spark Dive, in which Nick ascended slightly, then came down with a downward thrust that created an electrical shockwave on impact.

With the Darkball down, Nick turned around to see his comrades making short work of the Dire Plant and the two others that had appeared to back it up.

Having sensed trouble nearby, Nick wisely dive-rolled to the left to avoid the dashing attack of the Armored Knight before unleashing another Spark Dive to destroy it. _Man, am I glad these Medals don't run out of juice,_ Nick thought.

"We got the plants, Nick!" Mallory shouted.

"All right, who's next?!" Katelyn challenged.

As if responding to Katelyn's challenge, a small pack of Red Gummi Copters spawned in alongside two more Dire Plants and yet another Darkball.

Even as Nick prepared to vent his frustrations on the offending Darkball, his mind would occasionally flash back to the dream he'd had last night.

The same dream that had assailed him for well over a year now.

After all, it still haunted him to this day.

He'd made it clear when he'd explained to his friends what had happened to him that one of his main goals as a keyblade wielder was to find the person in the black cloak that had murdered his family and bring him to justice.

"NICK, WATCH OUT!" Mira shouted, snapping Nick's attention back to the present as a Wyvern, of all things, bum-rushed the group, forcing them to scatter in different directions.

"Oh, lordy, not you again," Mallory groaned. "I had enough of you freaks sticking themselves up my proverbial tailpipe at Beacon Academy!"

"Then let's just get rid of it before it causes you any more unnecessary pain," Justin teased. Even then, he didn't mean any harm by the barb; after all, he'd witnessed what the last Wyvern they'd encountered had done to Katelyn's hair.

With perfect teamwork, the Wyvern eventually fell, crashing into the ground near the fountain and dissolving into dark particles.

As Mira walked over to collect the Lux from the fallen Heartless, Nick's Chirithy came bounding back onto the scene.

"Hey, Chirithy, what do you have to report?" Nick asked.

"It's just as I thought," Chirithy proclaimed. "The Darkballs are coming from one of the worlds you've been to, which must mean something pretty nasty is going down there."

"Do you know which world it is?" Mallory asked.

Nick's Chirithy raised its paws and opened a portal to the Lanes Between, revealing said world to be Beacon Academy, one of the first worlds they'd visited on their journey together.

"Wait, didn't we _just_ get back from there a couple days ago?" Katelyn wondered. "We were just watching the Vytal Festival Tournament, right?"

"Whatever it is, it _can't_ be good," Mira replied. "We should move quickly."

"You heard the girl," Nick stated. "Let's get back to Beacon and see if we can be of any help."

Nothing more needed to be said, as the entire group made their way through the portal...

...and came out to complete and utter chaos on the other side.

Students and teachers were scattering every which way, Grimm were bursting through walls and ceilings, and Mira could swear she saw a _dragon_ flying towards the transmission tower nearby.

"Holy crap, _what happened here_?!" Justin exclaimed. "It's like hell descended since the last match!"

"We'd better go find Team RWBY and see just what's going on," Mallory proclaimed, and the group set off to find their mark.

"Everybody on board! This is a mandatory evacuation order!" the voice of Professor Port shouted.

"A safe zone has already been established in Vale!" the voice of Professor Oobleck exclaimed. "Please, stay calm and listen to Atlas personnel! They're here to help us!"

Weiss Schnee could only stare in disbelief at what had happened to her friends, her reverie only broken when Zwei began to bark, alerting her to Ruby Rose's mad dash to her.

"Oh, thank Dust I found you, Weiss!" Ruby shouted.

"R-Ruby?" Weiss gasped. "Where have you _been_?!"

"Don't worry, I'm all right! What's going on here?" Ruby asked.

Weiss didn't seem to know what to say, and just lowered her gaze. After a couple seconds, Weiss stepped aside to allow Ruby to survey the chaos. Her fellow teammates Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long were collapsed on the ground, obviously injured, but what scared Ruby the most was that one of Yang's arms was missing, its stump covered in a bloody bandage.

"I-I'm sorry..." Blake gasped, reaching out to hold Yang's remaining hand. "I'm so sorry, Yang..."

"Hey, she's gonna be all right," Sun Wukong stated, catching Ruby and Weiss' attention. "Those Atlas soldier guys have a ship that'll take you to Vale."

"...wait, where are Jaune and Pyrrha?" Ruby realized.

"They're... still missing," Nora answered, trying to stand up, only to clutch her injured side and sit back down.

"Wait, _what_?!" Ruby shouted.

"Look, you two, you _do _see that giant Grimm that's circling the school, right?" Sun exclaimed. "Even the White Fang are pulling out because of that thing! We have to go, _now_!"

After only a couple seconds, Ruby made up her mind. "I'll find them," Ruby proclaimed. "I'll find them and bring them _both_ back."

"No, Ruby," Weiss replied, brandishing Myrtenaster. "_We_ will bring them back. Keep watch over Blake and Yang for us, you guys. We'll be back soon."

With that, Ruby and Weiss readied their weapons and rushed back to Beacon Academy.

"You'd _better_ be!" Sun shouted after them. "Idiots..."

About halfway back to Beacon, Ruby and Weiss were forced to brandish their weapons when a group of Heartless spawned around them, mostly a group of Neoshadows, but also including a pack of Shadowulfs, dog-like Heartless that resembled the Beowolf Grimm.

"I don't have time for you!" Ruby shouted, switching Crescent Rose to sniper mode to take a shot at the Heartless, only for a pair of Neoshadows to be quickly vaporized by a double lightning bolt from above.

While the Heartless were distracted, Katelyn unleashed a Blizzaga spell to obliterate the Shadowulfs and allow Justin to slip in and chop the Neoshadows in half. Only two Neoshadows remained after that, but Nick solved that by whacking both of them with a Strike Raid from afar.

"Oh, hey, guys!" Ruby exclaimed. "You came at just the right time!"

"Okay, Ruby, let's get down to business," Nick started. "_What the hell happened here_?! Why does it look like the apocalypse came five days early?!"

"Long story short, some villains attacked the school, and now it's infested with Grimm and Dust only knows what else," Weiss explained.

"Weiss and I are heading back into the school to find Jaune and Pyrrha," Ruby continued. "They're somewhere in this mess and we don't know if they're okay or not!"

As if someone had been waiting for Ruby to say that, Weiss' scroll began to beep and ring, indicating an incoming call.

"Well, speak of the devil," Katelyn quipped.

"Where are you, Jaune?" Weiss asked once she'd answered her scroll.

"_Weiss, please, you have to stop her!"_ Jaune's voice resounded, and he sounded scared and in panic.

"Wait, stop _who_?" Weiss asked.

"_It's Pyrrha! She's going to the top of the tower to fight that woman, and she... she doesn't stand a chance!"_

"Jaune, what are you talking about?" Weiss responded. "Where _are_ you?!"

"_Don't worry about me, just go! ...please, you have to save Pyrrha before it's too late..."_

"Don't worry, we will," Weiss answered. "Are you okay?"

A click interrupted the call, and Weiss was about to redial Jaune, only for the ground to rumble underneath them, alerting the entire group to the massive Wyvern Grimm that was flying around and circling Beacon's CCT tower, the black ooze dripping from its wings falling to the ground and causing more Grimm to spawn from it.

The Wyvern perched itself on one of the arches stemming from the tower and let out a deafening screech.

"Oh, _that _can't be good," Justin quipped.

"Jeez, and I thought the Heartless Wyvern was bad enough," Mallory stated.

Ruby shifted Crescent Rose back into its scythe form and stared up towards the tower. "I have a plan," Ruby proclaimed.

Weiss just smiled, drawing Myrtenaster and preparing to hear her leader out. "You always do," Weiss admitted.

"Hey, let _us_ in on the plan, Ruby!" Mallory exclaimed. "We wanna help you guys stomp all over whoever did this to Beacon!"

"Okay, so here's the plan, then," Ruby started.

As Ruby began to explain what they were going to do, Nick's attention was suddenly drawn to another tower out in the distance, one of the few towers of Beacon Academy that was still standing amidst the chaos.

At the very top of the tower, Nick could see a suspicious silhouette standing on the roof. Nick stared at the figure for a short while, unsure if it could see him from that distance.

What was it about this mysterious figure that drove him to want to investigate?

Regardless, Nick knew he _had_ to investigate, lest this mystery perpetrator get away. For all Nick knew, this could be the guy behind all of the chaos at Beacon.

"You girls go on ahead," Nick stated, catching the group's attention. "I saw something suspicious over by one of the other towers, and I feel like I need to go check it out."

"Atta boy!" Katelyn giggled. "Trust your instincts."

"Yeah, when it comes to stuff like this, they're usually right on the nose," Mira stated.

"Go get that scumbag and knock him down a peg for us, got that?" Justin proclaimed.

"Roger that," Nick replied, summoning Starlight to his hands and making a mad dash for the tower.

As he approached the tower, Nick couldn't help but wonder why he felt the way he did about this mysterious intruder.

However, when he finally reached the top room of the tower and came out into a rather spacious lobby area, and saw the figure in a black cloak standing there, Nick was instantly on edge.

Nick told himself not to jump to conclusions, though. After all, as Invi had told him, the Master of Masters and his sixth apprentice Luxu wore the exact same kind of black cloak (he'd only seen Luxu in Daybreak Town once, and even then he considered himself lucky, considering the Master had disappeared a long time ago).

"Um, can I ask who you are?" Nick tentatively asked.

The cloaked figure turned around slowly until it was facing Nick, and now he was understandably enraged.

After all, despite the hood hiding the figure's face, an extremely wicked grin could be seen.

The same grin that Nick had seen on the figure in the black cloak that had murdered his family.

"YOU!" Nick growled, re-summoning Starlight to his hands.

"Ah, I was wondering when we would meet again," the figure responded in a low and gravelly voice. "You definitely seem to have matured since last we saw each other."

"Oh, I've been waiting for this moment for a _long time_, you son of a bitch," Nick proclaimed, readying his Medals and his keyblade for a fight. "After what you did to my family, I've been nursing a _mean_ grudge. And now..."

Nick didn't give the figure a chance to raise any of his weapons, pointing Starlight straight for him.

"..._I'm going to kill you_."

"Ah, but would that not mean you have darkness within you?" the figure cackled.

"I'm gonna have to stop you _right there_, jackass, because light and darkness are equal parts of _everything_," Nick shot back. "My Foreteller taught me that it's what you _do_ with that power that counts. And it looks like I'm going to have to teach you that lesson _personally_."

The figure extended dark blades of energy from its sleeves in response to that challenge.

"Then come at me," the figure proclaimed.

"First... do you have a name?" Nick challenged.

"My true name is of no concern to you," the figure laughed. "However, for the sake of convenience, you may refer to me as Takehaya."

"Good," Nick replied. "Now I can at least remember who slaughtered my family... so I can return the favor!"

Nick and Takehaya readied their weapons and charged towards each other, both completely ignorant of the battle taking place on top of the CCT Tower.

_To be continued..._

* * *

On the next episode...

Mallory: Okay, things are falling apart quickly here. It might be time to regroup!

Katelyn: ...Ruby? Ruby, what's going on up there?!

Justin: And where the hell is Nick during all of this?!

Mira: Oh, I hope he's okay...

Takehaya: Yes, boy, show me your hatred and despair!

Nick: Oh, you want my hatred? Well, I've got a lot of hatred for you stored up in the last year, so I hope you're ready for me to shove that hatred right up your disgusting tailpipe!

Katelyn: Hey, Nick, we need to pull back! Things aren't looking so good anymore!

Justin: I don't think he can hear us right now, Katie.

Katelyn: HEY! I said only Nick's allowed to call me that!

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart Unchained_, "Breath of Despair"!

Nick, Katelyn, Justin, Mallory, & Mira: May your hearts be your guiding key!


End file.
